I’m a complete novice when it comes to nails—but this product has convinced me to ditch the salon entirely

It’s a known fact among my friends that I am not the girl to turn to for at-home beauty treatments. If there’s the opportunity to enlist a professional for any service, whether that’s a nail treatment to try out the latest nail trends, lash extensions or simply make-up for a special event, I will always book the appointment rather than even attempt to give it a go myself. Part of the reasoning behind this is because I love the salon experience, however there’s another part of me that has to admit, it’s because I’m rarely very good at them. Painting my own nails at home? Count me out. You know those TikTok’s where someone attempts to cut their own hair and it goes wrong? Been there, done that, learnt my lesson.

So, when Executive Beauty Editor Shannon Lawlor reached out and asked me to put Manucurist’s Green Flash at-home manicure system to the test, I’ll admit, I was a little apprehensive. An at-home gel polish alternative, the Green Flash system is a three-step routine which provides a durable and long-wearing coat of nail colour that’s vegan and less harmful to the nail than traditional gel polishes. It consists of a base coat, a Manucurist Green Flash Nail Polish and top coat, all of which need to be cured under an LED light, and promises to be suitable for ‘complete beginners’. Well, I'll be the judge of that...

My honest review

First of all, on unpacking the set, I must say it felt very novice-friendly. The discovery kit comes with the base and top coat, a single colour (Manucurist’s bestselling Red Coral shade), a foldable lamp and, for removal, a hydrating dissolvant and handy clips. Each were clearly labeled along with a guide on how to apply them.

I started by ensuring my nails were clean and shaped before applying the base coat. The formula felt thin in comparison to the gel polishes I was used to seeing and applied more like a traditional nail polish. After applying, I cured it with the light, and moved onto the colour. I must say, Red Coral may just be the most perfect red hue, and if I only had to wear one nail colour all autumn long, I’d be happy if this was it. It applied smoothly and was opaque with two coats (with a cure in between each one). Lastly, I followed with the top coat and gave my manicure a final cure before checking out my handiwork. The result was streak-free, shiny and overall pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

The next test for my manicure was the wear time. Manucurist promises up to 10-days of wear from its Green Flash polish range, which makes them a great alternative to traditional gel polishes. I’d say I reached approximately seven days before they started to look a little worse for wear with minor chipping around the edges, however they held up pretty well, in my opinion, especially in comparison to regular nail polishes.

When it came to removal, I was pretty intrigued. This is where Manucurist’s Green Flash range differs the most from gel formulas as there’s no need to file or prep the nails as the polish should simply peel off when soaked with the brand's acetone-free remover for 60 seconds. I followed the steps and used the handy clips to keep the dissolvant-soaked cotton pad in place before removing it. While I didn’t have the satisfying peel off the website promises (although I know some people do get that), the polish had nearly disappeared and my nails didn’t look dry or dehydrated. A quick final sweep over with the cotton pad and the polish was completely gone—and my nails looked good as new.

Overall, would I recommend Manicurists Green Flash system? I surprise myself by saying this, but yes, absolutely. The whole routine was easy to apply, gave a long-lasting finish and the colours are oh-so-chic. While I’ll definitely be reaching for coral red again over autumn, I can’t wait to stock up on some extra shades, too. So, I’ve compiled an edit of a few of my favourites below in case you want to give the system a try for yourself as well…

Shop the best Manucurist Green Flash Nail Polishes